Random Acts of Chaos
by Crystal Marionette
Summary: A random act of kindness from Steve may have dire consequences for Danny...


Aloha everyone! I`m back with another one shot story here, as my imagination spewed this onto my lap and wouldn`t let up! Enjoy!

Warning: Here be swearing! They're adults; it's a common practice. Also I have no Beta so all mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any uncertain terms, lay claim to Hawaii Five-0 or its characters. I don't even own shares within CBS. All I am guilty of is enjoying sexy men running around with guns, shooting perps and blowing shit up with grenades. I write for the sole purpose of pleasure, not profit.

* * *

Trying not to crush the slip of pristine white paper he held in his clenched hands, Detective Danny Williams glared so hard at the police report he was sure it would soon combust. He just couldn`t believe it...seriously, they allowed these kind of people into the police force nowadays? Had he done something this ridiculous before becoming a sergeant, his job would have been terminated. He wouldn`t have been able to enjoy a paid suspension while they investigated his stupidity.

He wasn`t referring to his ex-Navy SEAL, all round military jack of all trades partner Steve McGarrett which, in itself, was quite amazing. The man had actually been keeping the insanity to a bare minimum lately, much to Danny`s grateful nerves. No, he was referring to the moron traffic officer who had let their lead suspect in a triple murder investigation go.

"I seriously didn`t think people this stupid really existed." Danny muttered, letting the paper flutter onto his oak desk. It wouldn`t last much longer in his hands, fingers itching to tear it apart in frustration.

"I told you, you wouldn`t like it."

Danny glanced up at the man seated across from him. Sergeant Duke Lukela matched his harried and worn expression, looking older than his fifty-odd years. Running a hand down his face with a heavy sign, he contemplated how this week had turned into such a shit show.

It had actually started off with a good beat. A fantastic weekend with his little girl, no active cases to roll along with and a slightly overcast, thus cooler Monday had been great. It meant he wasn`t slowly roasting in his Kevlar when they had gotten the initial call that afternoon. HPD had found the body of a young woman along a busy road, and it wasn`t pretty. The physical turmoil the body was in had made Danny sick to his stomach. The poor girl had been beaten, stabbed, sliced apart and that wasn`t even the half of it. Victim of a violent sexual assault then dumped like yesterday's garbage. Due to the sheer brutality, as well as a backlog in their own case work, HPD handed the case over to Five-0 and Danny swore someone would pay for what had been done. No one deserved this...

Tuesday had been worse. After a long day of identification, informing next of kin, interviewing relatives and friends, then a long night of research they had come up with nothing more than the woman had been a street worker and no one had heard from her in ages. Her own mother had been surprised to hear she`d still been alive until recently and had shown little emotion, which had made Danny seeth in silent rage and had to walk away before he hit her. How could you not know where your child was, not care for their wellbeing? The day had gotten worse when a jogger had come across victim number two in Ala Moana Park. The man`s dog had discovered the beaten and broken body, same M.O: raped, cut to ribbons and dumped. Five-0 were all just grateful whoever was responsible had attempted at least to hide her; the park was teeming with children and young families that did not need to bear witness to the brutal act. She was different though...younger than the last, she was a waitress at a busy diner located close to Ala Moana. Another ID, another emotional notification, another broken family. No leads.

Wednesday had come a break in the case. When shown a picture of the first victim, one employee of the diner had stated that she had indeed been seen near the diner on and off again. Apparently the area was her usual haunt. The co-worker of the second victim also spoke of a new boyfriend the girl had been seeing, a rough-around-the-edges type with lots of tattoo`s. The kind you don`t introduce to your parents. The worker had been wary of the man, spoke of how self absorbed the individual was and how he gave off this `vibe`. Chin had raised an eyebrow at that, nearly caused Danny to snort a laugh but he`d given them a name and a description and hell, it was better than nothing. The guy`s name was Lance St. Andreas which screamed fake in big bold letters to Danny, but turned out to be real. Kono made quick work of the information and the team soon had a DMV photo of Lance, not to mention a rap sheet a mile long. He was wanted in a string of robberies along the East Coast, as well as an assault in Illinois and suspected as an accomplice in a home invasion gone bad in Florida. A retired couple were found dead in their house the next morning by neighbors, both with gunshot wounds to the head.

"Nice guy…" Danny had muttered when the crime scene photos had popped up. Kono had fought back a gasp of dismay.

Lance, originally from Los Angeles, was a Caucasian male of twenty seven years of age with short cropped brown hair and blue eyes. Handsome in a rough_ I`m-here-to-fuck-up-your-day_ kind of way, he had a number of distinguishing features in the form of the aforementioned tattoos and a nasty looking scar along his left bicep. When the picture was shown around the streets vic one had prowled a few ladies stated to have seen or otherwise encountered the guy. One girl with the brightest pink fishnet stockings Danny had ever seen said Lance had even gone so far as to try forcing her into his car, a black supped up Nissan Skyline GTR. Steve had ordered a BOLO for both car and driver as they went to the man`s current address. The place was in shambles, beer cans and old laundry strewn about but no St. Andreas. Chin and Kono hadn`t had any more luck then they had at the man`s place of work. The head mechanic in the small garage hadn`t seen Lance for almost a week. He was in the wind, nowhere to be found, and as far as any of them were concerned innocent men didn`t run. Then the mangled body of victim three was found only a few blocks from the Ali`iolani Hale...

By the time Duke had come to him that fine Thursday morning, the news had already spread about the vicious murders, St. Andreas` photo plastered across most television screens and papers. How the media had gotten hold of the information they did amazed and infuriated the detective. Police scanners could be bought cheap online but it only made their jobs harder. If Lance hadn`t been on the run, he sure as hell was now. It did raise many an eyebrow, though, as to how the officer in the police report before him had missed the memo. Sgt. Lukela had meant to load the news onto Steve`s shoulders, but their fearless leader was currently in a meeting with the Governor. With a quick "you`re not going to like this," he had effectively ruined the Second in Command`s entire day.

"He fucking _had him!_" Danny growled, rubbing his temples. The report, in a nutshell, stated that a greenhorn rookie, so fresh he still reeked of the Academy, had pulled over St. Andreas late last night along the Pali Highway for speeding and had _let him off with a warning_. "Of all the stupid, idiotic, pathetic...how could he not have known it was him? Even if St. Andreas had changed his appearance it would have stated it was him on his _goddamn licence!"_

His raised voice had the cousins camping outside his office door, curious but aware that this was one meeting to steer clear of.

"I don`t know what to tell you Danny." The aged veteran shook his head. "It`s still under investigation as to how this happened."

"Fuck the investigation. I want the idiot fired! Three victims in three days, Duke!" Danny ranted, hands flailing. "We`re not talking about some gang punk out to make a name for himself, we`re talking serial killer. The guy`s wanted in suspicion of another murder back on the mainland and the kid just let him off! I`ll tell you how it happened; HPD has started hiring window licking idiots who probably don`t know their left hand from their right, let alone where the bullets go in a gun." Forming his hands into the shape of said weapon, Danny pretended to shoot himself in the temple. "His face is all over the news Duke. The papers. I`m sure Officer..." he inspected the report once more, the name too unimportant to the blonde for him to remember, "Tanaka had to have driven by a newspaper box on the way to work yesterday! They`re fucking everywhere on this god forsaken rock."

He couldn't take sitting any longer and stood, pacing. At least walking was proactive. "Really though, come on! The dude is running scared. He could have easily killed that officer. St. Andreas has probably ditched the car now too, if he was smart. Now this dirt bag could be anywhere on the island, chartering a plane, a boat, fuck…stealing a helicopter or something to vanish to some random country with no extradition and then we are screwed with a capital 'S'! With the rap sheet he has, how he got here in the first place is a mystery…even with fake documents…"

"Danny, just sit and breathe for a second." Duke's tone had him sitting back in his leather chair before he even realized it. "HPD has ensured that all ports, airstrips and charter companies are either covered with uniforms or are aware of the man's profile. From what we have from our own investigation into this guy-"

"This is our case Duke. Why are you looking into our suspect?"

"Like you said yourself, three murders in three days. You think HPD would let something like this go?"

"You're backlogged."

"It doesn't mean we're not concerned about this case. There are only four of you guys in Five-0; that's also cause for concern."

Danny raised a brow.

"I'm not saying what you all have managed to accomplish isn't amazing in its own right, but you're stretched thin. The least we can do is assist however we can." The Sergeant paused, watching the younger detective's shoulders relax. "As I was saying, we took a look into this guy ourselves when we heard he was a suspect. Apparently when the man was younger, he did a stint in a psychiatric ward in his local LA hospital."

"And where did you find this information?"

"His dip into crime didn't start when he turned eighteen. We pulled his juvenile record."

"And how, Sir, did you become privy to his juvenile record? Not even we have that access."

"I have friends in high places." Duke answered vaguely. Again, Danny raised a brow but said nothing, allowing the man to continue. "Anyway, apparently he was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality disorder when he was sixteen years old."

"Meaning if he devolves any further he'll become a psychopath, if he isn't already."

"They released him when he was eighteen due to legality reasons, but from what I read, they would have kept him there indefinitely if they could."

"And three women, not to mention an elderly couple in Florida, would still be alive if they had." Danny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. _This just keeps getting better…_

Duke nodded sadly. "Apparently, besides the blatantly obvious symptoms of a disregard for the general safety of the public, people suffering from the disorder can talk themselves out of almost anything. Smooth talkers that can fib through a lie detector test and pass with flying colors."

"So you're thinking…what? The guy sweet talked his way out of a speeding ticket and that's why Officer Tanaka failed to do his job properly?"

"I'm not giving Tanaka any excuses, but it's a possibility." The man sighed and then slowly stood. "I have to get back to the precinct. Let Steve know I said hi."

"Oh, I'll give him all the good news." The detective eased back in his chair and gave Duke a wave as the man left his office. If the headache he had awoken with this morning had eased any, he couldn't tell anymore. His temples throbbed with each beat of his heart, shooting a lance of pain through his skull and behind his eyes. "Just fucking wonderful." He muttered, closing his eyes with a wince.

"What's going on, brah? What did Duke want?"

With a wave, Danny invited the cousins to have a seat on his couch, not bothering to open his eyes. Curiosity ran in their gene pool so even if he'd wanted to, Danny could never hope to keep this quiet. With one last sigh, he leaned forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the desks veneer finish. Grabbing the report Duke had left, he handed it off to Chin without a word.

Chin, for all his Zen like attitude and façade of calm frowned as he read on, Kono doing the same over his shoulder. Quickly using the distraction to grab a few aspirin, he growled in irritation as the bottle remained silent; no rattle of the sought after medication. Popping the cap, he discovered the bottle was indeed empty and tossed the container in the trash bin just as the cousins turned to him with a unison cry of "What?"

"Yup." Danny mumbled. Distracting for time, he took a long swig of his now cold coffee and tried not to grimace.

"How does this even happen?" Kono shook her head. "It makes us rookies look bad!"

"You're not a rookie anymore, Kono." Danny stated. "Believe me when I say a year with Five-0 is like five years worth of experience as a beat cop. Besides, whether you're a rookie or not, common sense and brains also plays a crucial part. This officer has none."

"I'll say." Chin exclaimed quietly. "We sent a photo of the guy to HPD. They have it on their bulletin board for heaven's sake; I was there yesterday to ensure the BOLO was accurate."

"Oh, I know."

"Does Duke know how this happened?" Kono inquired

His head throbbed. "Wish he did. He has a theory about the guys antisocial personality but I don't buy it."

"He's a psychopath now?" Chin asked.

"A sweet talking son of a bitch too, apparently." Danny couldn't hide his distaste for the caffeine in front of him and grabbed his car keys. Standing, he checked for his wallet and cell phone before addressing the cousins. "Since the guy was pulled over on the Pali Highway northbound by the Nuuanu Reservoir, check the area's traffic cams and see if we can't track him down that way. If Steve calls, I'm just stepping out to grab a prescription refill."

Chin grinned wide, laugh lines prominent on the handsome man's face. "Out of Tylenol?"

"I am indeed analgesic-less. Do either of you need anything while I'm out?"

Kono pulled a twenty from her back pocket and handed it to him. "Lunch would be great. Maybe some garlic shrimp from Kamekona's?"

"Make that two, brah."

"And who says I'm paying for you?" Kono smirked at her cousin as Danny headed out, shaking his head.

"It's because you love me, little cuz."

* * *

Steve blew out a huff of air as he stepped out of Governor Denning's mansion and into the late morning sunshine. The meeting had been long and one sided, the Governor not at all impressed that Five-0 had yet to solve the case and stop the string of murders. Tourism to the city had taken a downwards spiral as the media blew the story out of the water, instilling fear into citizens and visitors alike even though it had been a mere three days since it had all began. The Commander had ensured the Governor that all measures were being taken but Denning had been more than a little callous.

He could understand and sympathize with the Governor – without tourism, Hawaii would flounder – but at the same time the man knew nothing about police work. Steve was still learning new things every day, whether through interactions with HPD and due process or Danny screaming it in his ear. These things took time and effort from numerous people, often times with numerous agencies. Steve couldn't just snap his fingers and make everything right with the world; if he could he wouldn't want to anyway. Too many good people would be out of a job.

With promises to find their suspect as quickly as possible while defending his team's actions against any more scrutiny, he had been dismissed with a wave and a promise of disciplinary actions against his team should the situation not come to a swift conclusion. Now standing in the warmth of the day's heat, he never appreciated it more. Denning's office had been as cold as his words.

Walking towards his Silverado parked along the pull through driveway, he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. Pressing and holding the power button, the small device gave a trill of life and almost immediately began to buzz in his hand. His partners name flashed across the screen and he accepted the call.

"Hey Danno. Good timing, I just left the meeting. What's up?"

"_Oh, you know…bad guys still being stupid, still stuck on this pineapple infested rock, the world is slowly burning. The usual."_

"Glad to hear you're having a good day, partner." Steve grinned as he opened the driver's side door to the blue truck, stepping back as a wall of hot air expelled itself from the interior. He paused to allow the air to circulate as he continued, "Any new leads?"

"_Oh, there were leads. Huge leads, but HPD screwed the pooch! I'll let the others fill you in, but in the meantime I'm grabbing lunch at the big man's truck. What do you want?"_

Glancing at his wristwatch, Steve was surprised to find it was almost noon. The meeting had been much longer than even he had surmised. "Anything but the jambalaya. I swear he coats that stuff in napalm."

"_That should be right up your alley though, babe."_

"Ha, you're hilarious." Steve heard the man laugh down the line. "I'm heading back down to HQ now. See you then, and thanks."

As he ended the call, the Commander paused, going back over the conversation in his mind. Danny had sounded angry, which was never good.

"Let's just hope he doesn't maim anyone." Steve chuckled to himself, knowing – if anyone – he would more than likely be the recipient of the man's wrath later on. Letting his partner rant was the least Steve could do though; it had a calming effect on Danny, which in turn made for a happy Steve.

Steeling himself for what the others would have to tell him, he hopped in his still-sweltering Chevy and drove off towards the Palace. For a Thursday the traffic was especially light, considering the lunch time hour. It was quiet, peaceful. A far cry from their usual lives. Enjoying the bright sunshine and easy breeze that made the palms sway and dance along the boulevard, he kept his mind in the here and now knowing as soon as he got back to work he'd be bombarded with crime scene photos of young women torn to pieces by a monster on the loose.

Turning south onto Bishop Street, he gaped in surprise and quickly slammed on his brakes. Sitting dead in the middle of the road, no hazards flashing, was a small silver hatchback. He'd come very close to rear-ending the small car due to the drivers carelessness. Pulling to the side of the road and stepping out of his truck, he shook his head as he approached the little car, his trained eye taking in the vehicles make, model and licence plate. A Mini Cooper he mused, arching his neck for a glimpse at the driver. He had half a mind to ticket the idiot; if you weren't going to push your car off the road, at least put the hazards on!

Reaching the driver's door, he opened his mouth to yell, and then quickly clamped it shut. Sitting behind the wheel was a young girl, probably no older than twenty. She looked frazzled and scared, glaring at her phone like it was the cause of all her problems. Petit, the young Hawaiian couldn't have weighed eighty pound soaking wet and even though the car was small he seriously doubt she had the strength to move it on her own. Feeling badly about his earlier anger he knocked softly on her window, feeling worse when she let out a yelp and dropped her cell. He waved and gave her a smile, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. She must have noticed the badge on his hip first as she rolled down her window and started stammering.

"I'm so sorry officer! I've been trying to get a hold of a tow truck, but my cell doesn't have coverage here for some reason and I don't know what's wrong with my stupid car, no one's stopped to help me and now I'm late for-"

Holding up his hands to stop her, Steve managed to calm her down enough to offer his assistance. The woman – girl really – kept up a litany of thanks as the commander went to work. Thanks to working on his dad's Marquis, he soon found it was nothing more than a dead battery. With a boost from his truck, and a warning to remember her hazards next time, she was back on the road with a grateful thanks and a wave within twenty minutes. The experience left Steve feeling good about helping the poor girl out and, with a smile plastered to his face he drove the rest of the way to HQ.

He was still smiling as he pushed through the glass doors into the bullpen of Five-0 fifteen minutes later. The look must have been contagious as Kono, upon seeing her boss stride in, broke into her own smile.

"Howzit, boss? You look like the cat that ate the canary." She stated as he joined her at the Smart Table. "Danny called and said you were on your way but that was almost a half hour ago. Get lost or something?"

"You're all a bunch of jokers today." Steve chuckled. "Just helped boost a stranded motorist. Danny said we had a lead or something?"

Kono's smile disappeared in an instant as she regaled Steve on the police report that Sgt. Lukela had dropped off earlier. As he listened Steve's eyes became dark and the good feeling he had in his chest was swept away to be replaced by anger. He now understood the reason behind his partner's ire and felt his fists clench. This was not turning out to be his day…

"So what you're telling me is that this whole ordeal could have been wrapped up last night, we could have had our suspect in custody and we wouldn't have to be worrying over the possibility of another body?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

Steve hung his head. If he ever saw the rookie responsible, it would be a hard fought battle not to shoot him. "Do we have anything good?"

"We do now!" Chine exclaimed as he exited his office in a hurry, his phone clenched tight in his hand. "Just got a call from HPD. They found St. Andreas' car abandoned near the Hawaii Loa campus of the University and he was spotted by students no less than five minutes ago in their parking lot. They already have cars en route to assist."

Steve was already exiting HQ by the time Chin had finished, fishing out his keys and phone as he jogged towards the parking lot. "Chin, Kono, one of you get a hold of SWAT and a hostage negotiator. This guy may be scoping for his next victim and if he sees us coming there's a good chance he'll try and escape through the campus. With so many students there's sure to be hostages taken. I want them prepped and ready by the time we get there."

"Got it boss." Kono nodded before the two diverted towards Kono's red Cruze.

Jumping into his truck once again he hastily threw on his seatbelt, switched on the lights and sirens and tore from the parking lot with a screech of tires. Converting to hands free, he dialed his partner's number as he wove through the now much heavier traffic. Honolulu's intricate web of one-way streets forced the team to first head south, eating up precious time. He only hoped Danny was closer as the phone continued to ring.

* * *

Danny almost couldn't stand it anymore. The smell alone wafting from his passenger side floorboard was making his mouth water and his stomach growl in a harsh reminder that he had yet to eat anything that day. Kamekona's shrimp had to be the best thing going on this island, though he'd never speak it aloud, and the food was calling to him like a siren's song. The ride was absolute torture as there was no way in hell he would ever eat and drive, but he wasn't sure if he could make it back to the office in time before want morphed into a serious need.

Of course it hadn't helped that Kamekona, the big lug, had to move his truck _yesterday_ of all days and had not informed them. One none-so-happy and long winded phone call later, whereas Kamekona had expressed the innate need to move for the purposes of "strategic truck placement", Danny had made the drive up to Kaneohe Beach Park on the other side of the island. Though out of his way, the trip up there hadn't been long thanks in part to an empty highway and the V8 engine under the Camaro's hood. Unfortunately he had made the mistake of taking the time to explain to their friend that if he wanted to keep his customers he may want to tell them where he's going. It allowed the noon hour rush to fill the roadways between him and the office and traffic had become horrendous. Figuring he'd be smart and avoid the parking lot that was now Kaneohe Bay Drive, he took Mokulele instead. Big mistake.

"If this traffic doesn't start moving I may start gnawing on my steering wheel." The detective muttered as someone behind him wailed on their horn. He glared at the offending vehicle in his rear-view. "Where do you want me to go, huh? Oncoming traffic? Do everyone here a favor and cut up your licence!"

He knew the driver couldn't hear him but it made him feel better. If it wasn't for the air conditioner blasting he would have roasted long ago. The glare of light off the vehicles in front of him was starting to turn his headache into a migraine. Idiots with horns certainly weren't helping. It also didn't help that he could see the highway just down the road from him and it too was crowded. He had the urge to just flip on his lights and sirens and cheat his way through traffic but he could never justify using his position as a cop in that way. As it turned out, he didn't have much of a say in the decision as his radio suddenly gave a chirp.

"_Attention all unit, attention all units. Suspect St. Andreas, Lance spotted at Hawaii Pacific University Loa Campus. All vehicles in the area, please respond."_

Danny responded immediately, the cars splitting like the biblical Red Sea as his sirens screamed over the horns of fellow commuters. The next closest officer was a good eight minutes away which Danny was both grateful for and cautious with. If anyone was going to take down this sick bastard it would be Five-0 but some immediate back-up would have been nice.

Tires squealing, he pulled onto the Kamehameha Highway and shot towards the campus. One hand gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles, he fumbled for his phone with the other. He was sure the others had been informed – this was their case after all – but with Kamekona's move they had no idea where he was. About to punch in the phones lock combo, one idiot driver pulled out in front of the detective. With a curse, he dropped the cell as he swerved to avoid an accident. Taking a cautious glance around the interior he couldn't spot the cell, but it no longer mattered as the campus appeared before him.

"Five-0's Williams on location." He barked into his radio as he entered the shaded parking lot of the small HPU site. The area was completely void of people as he skidded to a halt and leapt from his car, weapon drawn. It was eerily quiet but for the flapping of America's flag high on the pole above him. Not even the birds chirped in the trees as he glanced around for signs of movement. He thought he heard the distant trill of a cell phone but ignored it as a set of taillights caught his eye. Parked a hundred meters away, the small car was the only vehicle in the lot running. If St. Andreas wasn't in the car, there was always the chance of a witness. Crouching low along the line of vehicles, keeping a keen eye out for the suspect, he made his way over as more sirens began to echo in the distance.

Leading with his Glock, clearing between vehicles, he approached the driver side door of the small silver hatchback. He could see a figure inside but immediately noted it couldn't be their 6'4", 230 pound suspect. Stepping towards the open window, grip firm on his weapon, he made eye contact with the tiny female driver. Her big brown eyes were red and bloodshot, cheeks wet from the tears still trailing down her face. Hugging herself tightly, small tremors wracked her frame as she sobbed.

"Please help me." She whispered, eyes boring into his blues. "He has a gun."

"Where is he?"

She broke eye contact with him suddenly, focusing just beyond his left shoulder.

"Shit!" He wasn't fast enough to dodge as the door of the truck behind him slammed into his back. The woman screamed as the hit smashed him into his door, his gun slipping from his grasp and bounced off the hood of the car and out of sight. Spinning around, Danny blocked a kick aimed at his head as Lance emerged from the trucks dark interior, a massive .45 Desert Eagle in hand. Grappling for the man's wrist, Danny wrenched Lance's arm down and away from his body just as the gun went off. The echoing retort of the powerful weapon tore another scream from the poor girl in the car. The bullet slammed into the concrete by Danny's feet and kicking up a powdered cloud of dirt and debris as he fought for dominance against his attacker.

The man was strong, stronger than even the detective had figured. It didn't help St. Andreas had fifty pounds and nearly a foot on the blonde. Another kick from Lance landed squarely in Danny's gut, doubling him over and voiding his lungs of air. His grip on the man's wrist stayed taut however and he was able to avoid another bullet aimed towards his skull. Ears ringing and stomach on fire, Danny failed to see St. Andreas reach into the cab of the truck. He failed to spot the rusty tire iron being hefted above his head, and then he saw no more.

* * *

Steve snarled as yet another call to his partner went unanswered. To say that he was nervous was a bit of an understatement at that point, especially after hearing Danny on the radio claiming he was already on scene. That had been almost eight minutes ago with nothing afterwards but radio silence and the man's voicemail.

Tossing the cell onto his passenger seat, Steve swerved his Silverado into the campus parking lot, Kono and a mass of blue and whites on his tail. Coming to a stop, gun drawn and vest tight across his chest, Steve sprinted towards his partner's car. The Camaro sat in the middle of the road, driver's door wide open. Glancing around, Steve cleared the immediate area, noting the hint of gunpowder in the air before glancing inside the vehicle. A bag of now cold food and Danny's cell phone lay on the passenger floor mat, but no blood…no signs that Danny was pulled from his car. Reaching down, he pulled the trunk release and walked around to peer inside, hoping for some good news. He didn't get any as he peered inside and found Danny's Kevlar vest sitting innocently inside.

"Damn it!" Steve cursed as Kono and Chin joined him. A fan of HPD officers began sweeping between each car but, as he watched them work, he knew deep in his gut that neither Danny nor their suspect were here any longer.

"Boss?" Worry painted Kono's voice as she looked down into the trunk. Chin too stared a little longer than necessary at the Kevlar but stayed silent.

"Here he's always harping on me about procedure and waiting for backup, then he charges in without his goddamn vest on…"

"Hey! Over here!"

The cry came up from beyond a row of cars, an officer waving sporadically next to a jacked up black Ford. Steve and the others wasted no time in jogging over, joining the officer as well as Duke and an unknown civilian. The officer, Kolati if Steve remembered right, reached into the bed of the truck and produced a tire iron, the end of which was covered in blood.

"There's also a few bullet holes in the concrete here," the young man pointed, "and here as well. Definitely from a .45 calibre. We also found this."

Steve cursed once again as an evidence bag was held up, Danny's Glock nestled inside. So his partner was out there without any means of defence whatsoever.

"Are you sure?"

Steve's head jerked over towards Sgt. Lukela as the older man's voice rose. The civilian, a student by the looks of the young man, was nodding vigorously and pointing behind him towards the mountain. He was saying something but it was unintelligible as Officer Kolati was still talking to him. Walking around the young officer, whose words died out midsentence, he made his way over to Duke and the young man.

"…then went south. I caught the licence number." He heard the young man finish as he caught Dukes eye.

"We just missed them. St. Andreas took Danny and a young woman south along Kamehameha in a stolen silver hatchback. A Mini Cooper."

Steve felt another lead ball land in his gut. "What was the licence plate number?"

Duke told him.

"Oh, you have to be fucking _kidding me!_"

* * *

The first thing Danny was aware of was the massive wall of pain behind his eyes. It pulsed with every beat of his heart, making him want nothing more than to slip back into unconsciousness. It was the second thing he was aware of that made him fight to stay awake. The soft sobbing of a girl nearby triggered his paternal protection instincts and he slowly tried to pry his eyes open. It was much harder than he though, something wet and sticky obscuring his right field of vision. He tried lifting an arm to clear his view but frowned as the cold bite of handcuffs kept his arms behind his back. _Best make do with what I've got then…_What he could see, albeit blurry, was the soft roof of a vehicle. _A car…?_ His mind was fuzzy, but the subtle hum of tires on asphalt told him he was indeed in a car, on the floor of the backseat to be exact. _Why am I on the floor?_

He couldn't stop the groan that escaped him as the vehicle hit a bump, sending his head up and back against the hard floor mat. Luckily another sob from the driver covered for him.

"Please, I won't tell anyone I saw you. You can even have the car! Just…please let us go."

"Would you just shut up already?" the ominous click of a handgun echoed within the car. A flash of remembered chrome flared in Danny's mind. "Just get me back into the city and I'll let you go."

_Fat chance of that happening,_ he thought without mirth. The poor girl would probably turn out to be victim number four. The guy was a sexually driven and suffering from psychopathy. He didn't care about her or anyone, simply his own self-preservation. God only knew what he'd do to Danny if he didn't find a way out of this thing and fast. A fast look out the window showed nothing but blue sky and clouds. He had to get up to see where he was and how much time they had, but that would alert St. Andreas. Danny's head was behind the man's seat, and if he could catch him by surprise and take the gun out of the equation…easier said than done.

Lance didn't seem to be paying too much attention to him thankfully. In fact the man was whistling some tune Danny didn't recognize, seemingly enjoying the mess he'd created like he was on a road trip with friends. The woman behind the wheel kept throwing their captor frightened glances, like he was a time bomb ticking down to the inevitable. Keeping his eyes on her – she would be his best indicator should Lance make a move – he used the bumps and rocking of the small car to his advantage. Each pot hole they hit he pushed himself closer to an upward position behind Lance, shoving with his feet and bracing himself with his hands. It helped they were speeding; with the increased speed each dip practically lifted him into the air.

_Come on, come on…_it became his mantra as slowly but surely he rose himself up into a seated position. Not a moment too soon either as the natural light from outside was suddenly gone light the flick of a switch, replaced by a soft orange glow. Looking outside he saw nothing but concrete and wall lights.

_The Nuuanu Pali Tunnels. Shit…_they were almost back within the city limits.

Suddenly feeling eyes on him, Danny froze in the darkness. Looking up, his eyes met those of the terrified woman in the rear-view mirror. In her eyes reflected her horrific fears for herself, but also a spark of hope that he could get them out of the mess in which they found themselves. It was a hard look to maintain, knowing her life fell on his shoulder. He had what he hoped was a viable plan outlined in his mind but their captor had to keep thinking he was still unconscious. He shook his head, trying to convey the need to stay silent at her and she looked away quickly back towards the road. He hoped she had understood and her muted crying made him hopeful, but they were both running out of time.

"Why are you doing this?"

The question caught both men by surprise, but Danny couldn`t help but grin. She was attempting to distract a man with a gun on her, even after a threat to her life. She was braver than he had initially given her credit for. Using the diversion, he began to work the cuffs. He had seen the move on those horrible police procedural shows that seemed to be so popular, and Steve had once – in a drunken haze during one of the man`s many barbeques, mind you – had regaled him of how he`d been able to slip out of handcuffs in the past. He just hoped it would work for him now.

"What do you mean?" St. Andreas seemed genuinely confused.

"I mean hurt people, use them!" The woman`s voice now laced with anger. She glared at the man. "I know you, you know. You`re face has been on the news lately and I know what you`ve done...hurting those other women like that. You had to have known the cops were after you..."

"You want to know why I didn`t leave, why you`re now caught up in this." Lance mused but his voice seemed distant, as though lost in thought.

"Why are you doing this?" She repeated, locking eyes briefly with Danny once again, then back at Lance. "I mean, is this fun for you? Do you get off on some sick pleasure seeing people hurt, at your mercy?"

_Don`t push him babe, _he silently pleaded. As the dark switched back to light, natural sunlight returning to the interior, Danny nearly bit a hole through his lip as, with one harsh yank, he slipped his left thumb from its socket.

"What`s your name?" Lance asked, curious.

"Sophie."

"And you really want to know why I do this?"

_We all do asshole._ Ever so carefully, as to not rattle the small chain, the detective wiggled his hand free of the steel cuff.

"Yeah..." she sounded hesitant for an answer.

"You sound like a shrink I once knew." His tone was low, disapproving. "I`ll tell you what I told him though. I don`t know why I do what I do – they say I have a disorder or something..." Lance have a barking laugh which sent chills down Danny`s back. "Anyway, I do it...simply because I like to. It`s actually quite fun."

Danny watched Sophie`s face pale significantly.

"I do it for the thrill it gives me. The cops are stupid, thinking I would run. Why would I do that? I`m having way too much fun with this! Plus, I`ve never killed a cop before, so when I`m done with you-"

"Please, I have a baby at home! My husband-"

"-I`m going to take my time with him." Lance gestured behind him with the massive weapon in his hand, twisting to take a look at Danny in the backseat, and the detective knew it was time to move.

Snapping forward, he slammed the now empty left cuff around the man`s wrist. St. Andreas gave a yelp of surprise and pulled the .45`s trigger as Danny yanked and twisted the man`s arm behind the seat. The window by Danny`s head exploded into a million shards of glass with the massive retort of the gun as the blonde yanked on the cuffed wrist with his own. Lance cried out in pain as the wrist broke with an audible snap, the weapon dropped from numb fingers and hitting the floor by Danny`s legs with a hard thump. He quickly lost sight of it in the cramped little car. Distantly Danny heard Sophie scream and he was suddenly thrown forwards as she slammed on the brakes.

"Go!" he screamed at her. "Get out of here!"

She didn`t hesitate, throwing her door open. St. Andreas made a grab for her with his free hand but Danny lashed out with a vicious kick before grabbing the man`s shirt sleeve, pinning him back in his chair. Sophie dove from the car onto the highway, horns of passersby creating a cacophony of sound. In the distance, a crescendo of police sirens...

Enraged from her escape, St. Andreas gave an angry bellow as he tried to escape from the awkward hold. Danny wasn`t giving him an inch as Lance wreathed in the front seat. The angle of Lance`s arm around the seat was secured via the cuffs that now held the men together but the shirt in his grasp was tearing. Once that security was gone it would only take the man a second to twist into the back and the fight would be on. With his injuries, he knew that fight wouldn`t lat long at all. Plus, Danny doubted the gun was the man`s only weapon. The three other women hadn`t died from gunshot wounds...

With a final roar Lance tore free of Danny`s hold, leaving most of the shirtsleeve in the detectives grasp. In a matter of seconds the man had released the restraining seat belt, twisted towards Danny and swung his free hand towards the blondes face. In it was a massive buck knife, confirming Danny`s fears.

"Sonofa-" Danny ducked, feeling the knife pass a hair`s breadth from his nose. There was few places to go in the compact and, as the detective twisted the man`s broken wrist with the cuff, he found pain compliance were no longer working. Lance was completely gone within his rage as the perp swung the knife at Danny again in blind anger. The blade missed him completely, burrowing itself into the back bench seat.

Danny had successfully completed the first stage of his plan: Get Sophie out of danger and away from the mad man. Now he desperately had to complete stage two. A.k.a, getting the fuck out of the car! Then if he could slip the second cuff he`d be good to go, but that was a seriously big `if`. There was a final stage if it came down to it, but first things first. Scrambling for the door handle as St. Andreas wrenched his knife free in a shower of stuffing, the door popped open, sending Danny tumbling backwards. The handcuffed attaching him to his attacker – which now seemed like a horrible, horrible idea - abruptly halted his fall with a painful tug to his shoulder.

"Get back here!" Lance growled, awkwardly trying to climb over into the back and after Danny, the cuff and broken limb further impeding his progress.

"Hell no!"

The sirens were getting ever closer, filling Danny with the hope of getting out of this unscathed. Then again, Steve was probably at the head of that pack; with him, collateral damage was always an issue. Time was of the essence here, and Danny was sure Lance knew that too. Prepping himself, knowing his next move was going to hurt like hell but necessary, the blonde drew his free arm back before slamming his dislocated joint down into the asphalt. He barely felt the joint re-enter the socket through the wall of hurt that exploded in his hand and down his arm.

"FUCK!" he screamed the same instant St. Andreas managed to roll from the vehicle and launch himself at the detective.

It was like getting hit by a two hundred plus pound pit bull. Except this one had a knife the size of Danny`s forearm in one massive paw. The man landed on top of the blonde, smashing the air from his lungs for the second time that day as they rolled across the road and onto the cold grass lining the highway. The metal of the knife glinted in the sun with each tumble, coming dangerously close to Danny`s throat. One rotation had it catching Danny`s shirt, tearing a slice through the pleated gray material.

Coming to a stop, Lance towering over him, Danny barely caught a breath before the other man smashed a fist into the side of his already aching head. He knew dirty fighting when he saw it, or in this case, felt it. What Lance didn`t know was that Danny grew up fighting dirty back in Newark; his smaller stature often the target for bullies growing up. No one was taking this Jerseyan down without one hell of a scrap.

As Lance brought up his knife, Danny brought up his foot...right into the man`s groin. Lance gave a strangled yelp and doubled over in pain, right into Danny`s waiting head butt. What the hell right? His head already hurt like a bitch...The crack of breaking cartilage made the blonde smirk, watching as Lance clutched at his now bleeding face. His smirk turned to a grimace as the pouring liquid splattered onto his shirt and, with a grunt, Danny brought his feet up to Lance`s chest and heaved him away. Again the cuffs kept them together with a jerk but Danny used it and its momentum to straddle the man. One, two, three quick haymakers and the suspect was spitting up blood and teeth. Unfortunately it wasn`t enough to put St. Andreas down for good. With a toss that seemed far too easy Danny found himself on his back once again, the bulk of the Californian hunkering over him. In a flash Lance had his cuffed arm pinned, the cool edge of the blade against his neck. The detective froze, barely breathed, as Lance began applying miniscule amounts of pressure behind the knife.

"Thought you were so smart eh cop? Not so high and mighty now."

"Go to hell." Danny growled, wincing as he felt a trail of blood seep down his throat.

"Not yet, too many things to do." The man`s smile was horrid. "Like hunting down that pretty little thing...Sophie right? I never cared much for names."

Danny`s free arm came up to grasp Lance`s wrist as more force was put behind the blade. The blonde held him at bay as best he could but fighting gravity and the man`s brute strength was taxing. He felt slight tremors running through the man above him. Was it from the adrenaline spike or the urge for bloodshed?

"You sick son of a bitch." Danny`s own arm began to tremble as he tried shoving the razor sharp edge away. It didn`t budge.

"When I slice her up, maybe I should carve my initials into her body and leave it for her husband to find. I should have done it to the last one, the girl I left just for you and your crack team."

The crashing symphony of police sirens announced the arrival of HPD, but it was too little too late. Lance`s eyes were wild, the whites burned red with the cruisers flashing lights like a demon in the night.

"Guess that`s my cue, huh?"

* * *

Steve`s first instincts upon seeing the all-too familiar silver car stopped in the road, glass around it and doors open was that he was too late. St. Andreas had escaped and all that would be left were bodies. It wasn`t until one motorist pulled off to the side to allow Steve`s truck access that he saw the two men on the grass. He easily recognized Danny but felt his heart leap. There was blood, and lots of it. There was also a knife to his partner's jugular...more blood...

Steve saw red himself as he screeched to a halt and leapt from the truck, gun drawn and aimed at the suspects head. The clicks of two dozen more weapons behind him assured him that HPD was aware of what was going on, an officer was in danger. Possibly dying before their eyes...

And suddenly Lance was on his feet, dragging Danny with him by the blade and what looked like a set of cuffs linking the men together. The knife never faltered as Steve`s partner was made into a human shield, but the commander still gave a sigh of relief as Danny appeared to be relatively in one piece. One arm twisted behind him, the other hanging onto Lance`s arm like a lifeline, Danny and he finally made eye contact. Steve smirked as there was no hint of fear in Danny`s eyes; the man was well and truly pissed off, though.

"Lance St. Andreas! Drop your weapon and let him go!" Steve screamed, walking towards the Mainlander flanked by Kono and Chin Ho. "You don't want to do this."

"Don`t I?" Lance sneered, using his considerable height over his partner to wrench the knife higher. Danny was forced onto his toes to avoid being stabbed. "You have no idea what I want."

"Can you just shoot him, please?"

"Wish I could Danno, but you know why I can`t." Steve tensed. His partner sounded winded, anxious. Maybe there had been a touch of fear...

"Fine. Kono, you shoot him."

"Shut it." St. Andreas snarled and Steve watched as a new track of blood flowed down Danny`s throat. "Let me get in the car and you can have this one back."

"We can`t let you do that. Drop the weapon and step away or we will be forced to shoot you."

"I thought you couldn't, Steven."

Steve sighed. "Listen to the guy and shut it, Danno. Now really isn`t the time-"

"No, I really think now is the time, Steven!" Danny winced again as Lance started dragging him back to the Mini Cooper. "Just shoot him and be done with it!"

"You`re too close!"

"So is this knife!"

"Can you just stop and be a good hostage for a moment?"

"Can you stop and listen to your partner, for once in your very short policing career, and hit him between the eyes?"

"And risk possibly killing you?"

"He`s going to kill me anyway."

"I am, too."

The two were almost to the car. Steve glared at St. Andreas but caught the sudden look in Danny`s eyes. Lance had had it with the banter between the two, and it was just what Danny was waiting for. The knife lifted ever so slightly and Danny pushed with everything he had. The burst of power behind the wrist was enough to slip around the blade, and as he let his knees buckle and his body fall, Steve was awarded with the perfect shot. And he took it.

The retort of his weapon, along with the concussive blasts from over twenty other guns, echoed through the mountains. Lance fell, a look of surprise painted on his face before his eyes went blank with death. Problem was, with the handcuffs, the body was pulled towards his fallen colleague and toppled on top of the smaller man.

"Ow! Goddamn it all! Someone get this asshole off me!"

Steve, Kono and Chin were beside Danny in an instant, helping roll the dead suspect off the frazzled detective. One look at Danny`s face and Steve laughed. Hard. It was all he could do as the adrenaline dump left his hands shaking and sweat rolling down his face. That had been close, way too close...

"Oh, you think this is funny do you? Do you want to know how many times this guy has landed on me today? I`ll tell you! Too many! Where`s your cuff key?"

"Why are you cuffed together, pray tell?" Chin inquired, smiling.

"He had a gun. Allowed me to control the gun hand and keep him from going after anyone else."

Steve was still smiling as he helped take the handcuffs off and he assisted his partner onto his feet. Danny was shaky with cuts littering his neck and a nasty gash above his right brow. Remembering the tire iron HPD had found, he winced in sympathy. "We should get you to a hospital."

"I`m fine."

"That`s my line, and no you`re not."

"I am so. Where`s Sophie? The one who was carjacked, is she alright?"

Steve nodded. "We found her back up the highway, screaming for help. She`s in shock but unharmed, unlike you. Now, hospital."

Danny sighed, allowing Steve to steer him away from the small silver car and the body. "Ok, but only because you insist."

"I do, considering this all may have been my fault."

Danny stopped dead, giving Steve an incredulous look. "How the hell is this your fault? Did you kill three people Steven? Did you use some super secret SEAL technique and brainwash that idiot back there into thinking he did it? I don`t think so my friend."

"On the way back to the office from the Governors house, I ran into Sophie whose battery had died. I boosted her car."

Danny stared at him a long moment and Steve could practically see the pieces falling into place inside his mind. "Holy shit, this _is_ your fault."

"Had I not helped she wouldn`t have been at the University."

"I get it. It just means someone else could have died." Danny shook his head, heading towards Steve`s Silverado. "Doesn`t mean that I`m not going to yell at you until I`m blue in the face about all this! You do not get a free pass!"

Considering everything that had happened that day, how close he`d been to losing Danny, Steve found himself oddly looking forward to it.

* * *

_Fin_

Sorry for the abrupt end to that story, but I found it was already going on much longer than I had expected! I figured if I didn`t stop I could write for four more hours yet! I hope you liked it either way.

Also, I found something interesting while doing some `research` for this story. I like going into Google Maps and actually looking at road names, scenery and where I want to set my story. I also want them to be as accurate as possible. Well when I was in street view in Google I noticed that, once the little orange guy was on the street, he`s holding a little orange surfboard! Kudos to Google for that cute little piece of ingenuity. Felt like I was sticking Kono into various roadways of Oahu! I recommend checking it out if you didn`t already know this.

Mahalo for reading, and please let me know what you thought of it. I`m working on a multi-chapter fic right now and reviews feed my muse! Love hearing your opinions and comments, whether they be bad or good! Until next time, Aloha!

»Crystal Marionette«


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